1. Psychology: An Introduction
Benjamin Lahey 11th Edition
Slides by Kimberly Foreman
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

2. Interplay of Nature and Nurture
Chapter Four:
Interplay of Nature and Nurture
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

3. Nature: Genetic Influences on Behavior
Do genes influence
our behavior and
mental processes?
- genetic studies of
nonhuman animal
behavior
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

4. Nature: Genetic Influences on Behavior (cont.)
Do genes influence our
behavior and mental
processes (cont.)?
genetic studies of
human behavior:
- studies of twins:
- monozygotic
- dizygotic
- studies of adopted
children
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

5. Nature: Genetic Influences on Behavior (cont.)
Molecular genetic
mechanisms of
inheritance:
- genes
- chromosomes
- DNA:
- nucleotides
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

6. Nature: Genetic Influences on Behavior (cont.)
Molecular genetic mechanisms of inheritance (cont.):
- polymorphic genes
- dominant gene
- recessive gene
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

7. Nature: Genetic Influences on Behavior (cont.)
Molecular genetic mechanisms of inheritance (cont.):
- polygenic traits
- X and Y chromosomes and sex
- chromosome abnormalities
- Down’s Syndrome
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

8. Nature: Genetic Influences on Behavior (cont.)
Genes and behavior:
- influence psychological lives through the
structure of neurons and endocrine
glands
influence physical characteristics that
influence how one views him/herself
and others respond to him/her
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

9. Nurture: Environmental Influences
Physical environments:
- prenatal exposures:
- alcohol
- exposures during childhood and beyond:
- water pollution
- air pollution
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

10. Nurture: Environmental Influences (cont.)
Social environments:
- culture, ethnicity and identity
- culture and parenting:
- collectivistic culture
- individualistic culture
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

11. Interplay of Nature and Nurture
Gene-environment correlation:
- passive gene-environment correlation:
- action not needed to cause genes and
environments to become correlated
- active gene-environment correlation:
- correlated through the actions of the
individual
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

12. Interplay of Nature and Nurture (cont.)
Gene-environment interaction:
phenomenon in which genes influence
how environments work and
environments influence how genes
work
- gene expression is variable
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

13. Sex, Gender and Human Diversity
Gender identity and gender roles:
- gender identity:
-subjective experience of being female or male
- gender roles:
- behaviors that a culture expects of males and
females based on biological sex
- feminine
- masculine
- androgynous
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

14. Sex, Gender and Human Diversity (cont.)
Gender similarities and differences:
- in physical characteristics
- in cognitive ability and achievement
- in emotion and social behavior
- in mating and sexual behavior
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

15. Sex, Gender and Human Diversity (cont.)
Origins of gender differences:
- structural differences in the brain
biological differences that have evolved
over thousands of years
social learning experiences associated with
gender roles
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

16. Genetics and Psychological Theory
Evolutionary psychology and gender differences:
- pressures associated with hunting
- selection of dominance and aggression
- pressures created by child care
- pressures created by gender differences in
parental investment
- pressures in mate selection
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved

17. Genetics and Psychological Theory (cont.)
Social-role theory of gender differences:
each society’s division of labor and the
different social roles that it creates
are the forces that create psychological
gender differences
2008 McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. All rights reserved